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Dickinson County weighs hauling trash in-house as contractor costs rise
Summary
Commissioners reviewed options for county solid-waste handling after a meeting with Waste Management. Staff outlined trailer purchase estimates, current per-ton hauling costs and fuel surcharges and said a locally run hauling operation could save money but faces staffing and capital hurdles.
The Dickinson County Commission spent a substantial portion of its meeting weighing how the county will handle municipal solid waste after the current contract operator signaled changes in fees and equipment expectations.
County staff reported a recent discussion with Waste Management (WM) and said the current contractor has suggested the county purchase trailers used at the transfer station; the figure discussed in the meeting was about $130,000 per trailer. Staff said the existing contract included a $2-per-ton charge that was intended to be applied toward purchasing one trailer (the county has been paying that $2 since about 2018), but commissioners described disputes over whether that credit has been applied and who would take ownership of trailers once paid for.
Staff and commissioners also outlined other cost drivers: a haul charge to the processor of roughly $69.25 per ton and a monthly fuel surcharge the county estimated between $2,400 and $3,500. One county official said that, in theory, hauling the county’s waste directly could get the per-ton cost down substantially (staff discussed a theoretical figure near $31 per ton), but officials warned that equipment is only part of the cost picture and that recruiting CDL drivers and trained operators is a significant hurdle.
Commissioners discussed alternatives short of buying and operating trucks themselves: pursuing a turnkey operation with WM or another vendor, arranging shared operations with neighboring counties (Cloud, Republic, Clay were all mentioned), or investing in pre-crusher or compactor upgrades to raise payloads and reduce trips. Staff said a crusher system used elsewhere allowed longer effective payloads and fewer trips, which would reduce trucking costs.
No formal decision was made. Commissioners asked staff to perform a cost–benefit analysis that includes: the capital cost to purchase trailers or a new compactor/crusher, ongoing operating and insurance costs, staffing needs for CDL drivers and equipment operators, and the effect of hauling to nearer processors such as Salina. Staff said the contract with the county’s current hauler runs through 2027 but that the contractor has urged earlier trailer purchases, indicating the commission may need to decide sooner than previously anticipated.
